Vision or Nightmare?

This report proposes radical changes to initial teacher education, “standards” against which teachers would be assessed, and performance pay-style “rewards” to be administered by principals. Unfortunately, its more laudable aim…

This report proposes radical changes to initial teacher education, “standards” against which teachers would be assessed, and performance pay-style “rewards” to be administered by principals.

Unfortunately, its more laudable aim “to raise the status, professionalism and overall quality of the teaching force” is lost in a document that is ill-informed and contradictory.

Erin Lawrence, Liz Parata and Bruce McDonald

This, however, is not surprising given that the “vision” was put together by a group of nine people who met for four half-days over six months. Two members had a strong business focus, and while two others were principals, there was no meaningful consultation with professionals, let alone parents.

And one of its recommendations has already appeared in current claims in industrial bargaining (making all units flexible), indicating that the very short period for people to make submissions on the vision (eight weeks to August 6) was as it seemed” token.

Over the next few months, NZEI will be developing a more robust vision for the teaching profession, NZEI Te Riu Roa Advancing Quality Public Education.

What the government proposes

Initial teacher education

Teacher training to become a one-year post-graduate course, followed by two years further post-graduate study to be completed while teaching.

“Better alignment” between the number of teachers being trained and the number of “appropriate” placements available.

It is completely unrealistic to expect new teachers to complete further postgraduate study while also coming to grips with full-time responsibility. . . It is also unrealistic to expect parents to be comfortable with their kids being in the care of what could reasonably be described as still untrained teachers. Who would put their lives in the hands of partially trained pilots or surgeons?

Teacher and school goodwill will be stretched if the alternative teacher training model is established. If it is then schools and teachers should be asked to consider a boycott of having trainee teachers in our schools as the model would definitely put the emphasis on schools to train student teachers how to teach; to act as consultants and advisors for the universities; and be paid a pittance for doing it.

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Rewards, recognition and progression

Increased focus on professional development during classroom release time and term breaks.

Performance-pay style rewards, determined by principals, to “incentivise” teachers. Permanent units that recognise career development to be scrapped.

New “standards” against which teachers would be assessed.

What the professionals say:

Units are used for career paths and leadership roles and using them for ‘rewarding or recognising’ teachers would lead to an environment where teachers were hesitant to share, collaborate and co-operate.

There is no one ‘treatment’ or ‘formula’ which can show a teacher is ‘performing’ better than another. What works one year, does not the next. A teacher in one school will be an ace and totally ineffective in another school. Teaching and learning are that complex something this government is not moved to recognise.

It is a fallacy to think that more standards will enable better judgments of capability and performance. Staff are already concerned at the numbers of sets of standards, yet the advisory group is recommending more.

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Leadership within schools

Compulsory training for aspiring and new principals.

Secondments for teachers aspiring to become principals, and professional mentoring for all principals.

The success of any reform requires that teachers themselves are actively involved in policy development and implementation. Unless teachers are actively involved in policy formulation … it is unlikely that substantial change will be successfully implemented.

About EA

Education Aotearoa is the magazine of the New Zealand Educational Institute. It’s published quarterly and goes to 47,000 educators working in early and primary education. These include support staff, teachers and principals.